Jenson Button: I'll quit Formula One if I become a father... it's not worth the risk

Jenson Button says he does not want to become a father until he has quit Formula One because he fears it will affect his ability to race to the limit.

At 31, Button has driven in 189 Grands Prix, a total exceeded among current races only by Rubens Barrichello, Michael Schumacher and Jarno Trulli, all of whom are fathers.

Button, who is in a long-term relationship with lingerie model Jessica Michibata, has previously expressed a wish to start a family, saying: ‘That’s something that excites me — having a family and telling them “Your daddy was world champion”.’

Eyes on the prize: Jenson Button and his girlfriend Jessica Michibata

But as he prepares for his 12th season in Formula One, Button said: ‘I don’t want to have kids while I’m racing. It’s not worth the risk.

‘One reason is that I do think my attitude to racing would change if I had children. Another is you don’t get enough time to spend with them.

‘If you start feeling fearful of pushing the car to the limit, you have to stop racing in Formula One. There’s no point going on.

‘It would be like dropping off a cliff. Once I feel I’m changing, not getting on the limit, I will stop.’

Lewis Hamilton says he is constantly aware of the risks, particularly in the light of Robert Kubica’s horrific accident in a rally car.

Hamilton said: ‘It reminds me how things can happen to you anywhere.

‘I know if I go through a corner at 180mph and it should be taken at 170mph, I could hit the wall; and it could hurt. But I do it anyway.’